Family Time and a $10 Outfit

We only got in two episodes of Orange is the New Black on Friday night.  There was a part of me that longed for an Orange marathon but a bigger much louder part of me was thrilled to be spending the weekend with family.  My older sister and nephew are here for 17 days.  I only get to see them on the weekends because of work so I am really trying to make the most of it.  The day she flew in my parents picked them up and drove straight to my house so we could all go out to breakfast and hang out.  My little sister gets into town this Friday and the entire upcoming weekend is packed with more family activities.

I get a lot of time at home alone without MJ since he travels but he rarely gets the house to himself without me.  I spent all day Saturday and that night at my mom's and I know he liked it that he had time to himself- which doesn't bother me too much even though I like pretend that I am totally offended.  It was only one night but I still got all pouty and I'm gonna miss you on him which is kind of silly because we've spent many, many nights apart.  I can be so dramatic sometimes but I really can't help it.

I always forget my hat.  I actually have a cute one I could have worn.

DJ

We spent Saturday at the park.  DJ got to play and burn off some 3 year old energy while we got to sit, chat and just be with each other.  My little nephew is so sweet and soft spoken.  At that age you don't even know if they know who you are.  It's been almost a year since I last saw him.  He smiled really big when he saw me.  Awww he does remember his Auntie Cece.  I scooped him up into a giant hug.  He is just the cutest. 

Maxi'd out

My sister and I went to the mall twice.  We didn't plan it but we went on Saturday for one thing then Sunday because she realized she needed something else.  You see that outfit I'm wearing? $10 bucks.  Even people who are not shopping cannot pass up a $3.00 shirt and an $8.00 maxi skirt.  I mean, really!!  In case you are wondering where you can get $3 shirts it's Rue 21.  My sister works at a store in N. Carolina.  When things go on clearance there, they REALLY go on clearance.  I have a maxi skirt addiction.  Every where I looked that's all I saw.  All I wanted to do was buy more and more but I didn't because I have more then enough to get me through the Summer and I realize it's just the addiction talking.

My mom got me a pair of $3.00 sweats from Rue 21 when they went so now my sister, mom and I all have ones that match.  They have kind of a wild print but they are really cute for wearing at home or to places like Walmart or late night doughnut runs.  It's too warm now, but hopefully we will get a chance to wear them together sometime and be super annoying matchy matchy twinsies.  And that's just the thing.  We really don't know when we are all going to be together again.  We never do.  We just have to enjoy the times that we are.

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I'm Not A Mother

Last weekend was full but fun. I found myself wide awake on Monday morning when it was time to get up for work (surprisingly) only to find myself crashing hard by 12pm. It's a short week for me.  I will survive.

The Zoo Crew

MJ's mom and cousin are in town and they brought the kids.  The #1 ranked Zoo in the United States is in our backyard.  MJ has never been, which makes no sense especially since military gets in free.  I haven't been in a million years myself so it was a perfect group outing for Saturday.  We loaded ourselves into the rented mini van and spent the day walking miles and miles all over the world famous San Diego Zoo.  The place is huge.  Just when you think you saw all the animals you wanted to see you realize you missed out on the Kangaroo's and the Rhinoceros's.  These animals are so interesting to look at.  I could probably stare at the Gorilla's for hours.  I love the slow rhythmic way they move.  Not quite upright but also not quite downright as they use their front knuckles to get where they are going.  Their faces are so serious and their eyes so intelligent.  What are they are thinking about-besides why the F are all these people staring at us and what do they want?  Giraffe's have the cutest faces.  They are like a horse gone wrong but not because their long legs and neck transform them in their own unique and beautiful way.  The Rhinoceros walked in circles and the Kangaroo's just laid there.  I was really excited to see pouches but these didn't have them.  MJ has seen ones taller then him roaming around in the motherland of Australia so he probably was not too impressed but they were still cool to see. 

The San Diego zoo is exhausting.  The San Diego Zoo with little ones is REALLY exhausting.  That day alone totally validated our decision not to have any.  At one point the 1 year old and the 3 year old were wailing at the same time.  The little one was kind of cranky all day and the 3 year old hit his face on metal hand rails twice in a row after repeatedly being told not to run off. The weather was not too hot, not too cold; just  perfect for a long day outside.  We covered as much ground as we could but when the kids got too tired it was time to go.

I'm really proud of myself for resisting the urge to take a million animal pics that will only take up space on my hard drive and be really boring to look at later. 

Me and my two mom's (Mom in Law and Mom)

On Sunday we all went up to spend it at my Mom's.  My mom is still on crutches because she had foot surgery a few weeks ago and my Dad is out of town visiting his mom.   She really appreciated us being there and taking care of everything.  We kept it simple.  MJ grilled Hamburgers and Hot Dogs and we got sides from Fresh & Easy.

Both of the kids have the same name.  The bigger T came inside with two flowers from outside and said Happy Mother's day.  He tried to give one of them to me but I said I'm not a mother, and handed it to my mom in law.  I was the only female there that wasn't a mother.  Story of my life; but he didn't understand that.  Not five minutes later he came back inside with one for me and said Happy Mother's Day.  How sweet.  I guess he didn't want me to be left out.  You can't refuse such a sweet gesture so I laughed and took it.  We put them in our hair.

The little T is really sweet too.  He's just as squishy and cuddly as he can be. Kids definitely have their adorable moments but it's still nice to be able to send them home.

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They Will Be Missed

Spending the weekend with my parents makes me feel like a kid again. Being an adult with all of the work and responsibilities that go along with it kind of sucks sometimes.  When I spending the night in the home I grew up in I am their child again.  My dad is loud and annoying.  My mom is running around getting things done and planning our next meal.  They mean business when it comes to food.  Dad insists on cooking breakfast every morning and there are always snacks and sweets in the pantry.  Just being in that house makes me want to eat and by the time I leave I usually feel like a stuffed pig.

This last weekend was extra special.  Not only did my adorable nephew DJ hit the big 3 but it was also our last weekend with them.  My big sis flew back to N. Carolina on Monday where they will live for the next three years.  It's been wonderful having her nearby.  I've been able to get to know my nephew and watch him grow.  My sister has lived in Riverside and La Quinta for the last three years which is kind of far.  My  parents only live about 45 minutes away though.  My sister was there about every two weeks so my parents could get their DJ fix.  It was the perfect place for us to all get together.

I have to think of their time here as a gift so that I don't feel cheated now that they are gone.  And it really was a gift.  When she moved to North Carolina 7 years ago it seemed too good to be true that the military would bring her back to California.  I couldn't believe it.  She moved back just in time for my wedding in July 2010.  DJ was still in her belly.

I soaked up our time together.  My family can be crazy but I love them.  My dad yelled at the people who came to pick up my sister's car.  We went shopping and both spent money we shouldn't have.  My dad went out and brought home Chinese food for dinner.  We watched a movie.  My dad didn't like it so he snuck off to his room.  My mom and I stayed up late watching TV while my exhausted sister took her baby to bed.  I got to give my sweet nephew lots of kisses.  He is the cutest thing ever.  The only thing missing was little sister who lives in San Francisco.

DJ's birthday was on Sunday.  It was a totally un pinterest worthy non party family gathering but I assure you the kid didn't care one way or the other. He was just happy to be playing with the balloons. He cried the minute we started to sing Happy Birthday and didn't stop until we finished.  He did the same thing last year.  He didn't like his hat either.  He only ate the frosting off of his cake and my dad refused to eat the frosting at all.  My mom ate two pieces.  I only had one but made up for it with all the snacking on Chex Mix and Tortilla Chips.  The weather was perfect so we drank our wine in the backyard on the patio.  After having biscuits for breakfast and too many snacks the only one still hungry for dinner was mom.  Of course.  My sister hated every second but she got up and made the sloppy Joe's and steak fries like she said she would and then my mom happily ate that too.  DJ isn't really into eating all that much so he was fine with Milk in his sippy cup and the Vanilla Wafers my dad constantly puts into his little hands.

I stayed as long as I could on Sunday night.  I can't be a kid forever.  Duty calls and eventually it was time to go home.  I didn't see my sister every day that she was here but I got to see her a lot.  It was nice to know that she was close and that I could.  My nephew doesn't understand what's going on.  He doesn't know how much we will all miss that sweet little face.  I will miss them both.  Why do people you love have to move away?  My parents are already planning their visit for January.  I guess I better start thinking about planning mine too.

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I was really excited to find out that my blog post about popularity and blogging is featured on the BlogHer home page as an editor pick. You can check it out here at BlogHer.com.  My Blogher member page with all of my posts is here.

Teeth Whitening, Superman and Father's Day

Every day since we got back from vacation I've really wanted a day of rest where my only responsibility is breathing.  And that is not technically even my responsibility per se as it's an involuntary process.  We got back from DC on Tuesday afternoon and I've been on the go ever since.  The day we got back I went straight to the gym, then to a baseball game, then right back to work for the rest of the week.  It continued with a weekend that turned out to be much busier then I expected.

Looks like some kind of weird science experiment

Lunch at PF Chang's  // Sister and nephew

We had the patio to ourselves

I skipped out of work really early on Friday to spend the day with my mom and sister.  We had a teeth whitening date.  Haven't you heard?  That is THE latest thing to do with your friends.  When I found out that my mom and sister bought a teeth whitening Groupon I had to buy one too.  I actually wasn't all that interested in getting my teeth whitened.  I just didn't want to be left out and thought it would be fun to do together.  The procedure took 30 minutes.  There was a lot of drooling involved, at least for me.  I had about 5 different trays filled with gel to bite down on for 10 minutes at a time while the LED light shines on your mouth. By the 3rd round my lips were feeling numb and spicy.  We got maintenance gel filled pens to take home.  My teeth were already pretty white.  White is basically white so I don't know how noticeable it is but I think my teeth did brighten up a few shades.  Afterwards we had a really nice lunch at PF Chang's.  I'm trying to come off of my juice fast the right way so I stuck with veggies, rice and tofu.  They hung out at my house for a while before heading home.

Goofy Glasses.  It's impossible to look sexy in these things.

Saturday morning Mj felt like going out to breakfast so we got up and did that.  I got egg whites and coffee.  Then, we went to see Man of Steel at Cinepolis.  We had to leave the house by 3:50 to meet our friends for pre movie drinks at 4:30 pm and the movie started at 5:30pm.  When talking about this movie it simply has to be said.  The man is hot.  Central Casting made an excellent decision when they cast Henry Cavill as Super Man.  I didn't understand some of what was going on but it was entertaining and Henry Cavill is really hot.  Did I already say that?  We saw it in 3D so the tickets were $22.50 each!  Oh well.  I ordered a Chicken Caesar salad during the movie and Mj ordered a whole bunch of stuff to recover from having been forced to go into work on a Saturday.  I may or may not have had a few bites of his chocolate molten dessert.

Dani, Mom, Me at IHOP

Me and my Daddy

Sunday morning I was up at 7:30 am to meet my family for an early breakfast with my Dad for Father's Day.  We went to IHOP where I had ...more egg whites!  I made it home around 4pm and went straight for my laptop to download some photos and get some blogging done.  I was working on a guest post for another blogger on Thursday to send out Friday and just putting on the finishing touches when it somehow got deleted from Blogger.  I was totally devastated!  I was so upset.  I didn't think I had the heart to start all over but I got an extension on the deadline and managed to re write it by Sunday night.

In the midst of all of this I still need to buy a new bra since my only good nude one broke and I'm trying to get caught up on my DVR.  What kind of world is this where we catch up on TV watching like it's our job?  I don't know, but I have a ton of shows I need to watch and haven't really had the time to do it.  I also have three movies that I have to return to Blockbuster by mail.  We canceled and if I don't send them back in time they are charging $20 bucks each which is ridiculous.  Figures that all the movies I have left are between 2 to 2 1/2 hours.  I watched one on Saturday and Les Miserables yesterday.  Has anyone seen that movie?  It was so good and so sad that I was bawling.  The acting was amazing and I have always loved the music.  Mj heard me sobbing and came upstairs to see what was wrong with me. I can't wait to see the play live in NYC again.  We haven't actually planned a trip to NYC just yet but when we do that is definitely on the itinerary. 

Today is Day 1 of the Advocare Cleanse and the 30 Day Shred.  We'll see how that goes.  So maybe this weekend I'll get my do nothing but breathe and catch up on DVR day?  Probably not.  Mj is already talking about going to the beach, we need to go grocery shopping and I will need to clean my house.  It's been a delightful 75-80 degrees and sunny since we got back.  I guess it makes perfect sense that I'm out there enjoying it with friends and family even though the homebody in me just wants to chill on the couch.

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Mom's Birthday

Birthday season has begun.  Saturday was my mom's Birthday.  She really wanted to do something besides hang around the house all day but I vetoed the Zoo idea because it's just too cold.  Is that mean?  I knew I would be miserable so they would have had to go without me and it just makes more sense to wait and go on a warmer day when it will be much more enjoyable for me everyone.  We are planning to make a day of it sometime before my older sister moves away.

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

 Mj and I drove up there and we hung out at the house and then we went to dinner at Red Lobster.  Those Chedda Bay Biscuits are to die for.  That's the best thing about that place if you ask me.  I ordered a Cobb salad so I splurged and had 2 but back in the day I used to eat 3 or 4 or probably even more.  I never kept track.

Me and Mj

My nephew DJ

This kid ate about 5 croutons pulled from the extra salad we got by accident and called it a night.  How sad that he does not yet know the joy of Chedda Bay?  How sad is it that I ate most of the fries that were intended for him?

Mom and Dad

If you aren't sure what cake to get or you want to have variety get both!!  My mom, sister and I went to Ralph's to pick out a cake and they sell them in half sizes which is a genius idea.  Mom wanted Carrot cake and my sister and I got to have our chocolate.  This was seriously one of the best chocolate cakes I've ever had!! There is no shame in a grocery store bought birthday cake.  They've stepped up their game and I think I want the chocolate for my Birthday.

Chocolate Cake or Carrot Cake?

Mom and sister

She is another year older and just as beautiful as she's always been.  I love my mom so much!!  I don't even like to know how old she is because I don't like to think about her getting older.  

Me and sister

We were there pretty late.  We didn't leave until about 11:30pm so I could barely keep my eyes open on the drive home.  My mom had a really nice birthday and I think we all had a nice time together even though we didn't do much of anything.   Next Birthday up is mine.  

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Christmas Eve Eve Eve

Dani, Me and Tia-Sister's!  I really am the middle child.

On the Saturday before Christmas I went up to my mom's house to spend some time with my sisters.  The younger one is in town from San Francisco and we don't get to see her as often so it was so much fun getting to hang out with her and all of us together.  My mother in law was supposed to come with me but she missed her Thursday night flight. She waited for 9 hours, the next flight was overbooked and she couldn't get another one until Monday!  Traveling on the holidays is no joke.  We spent the day at my mom's house then we went out to dinner at Claim Jumper.  My younger sister Tia got one of the biggest burgers I've ever seen.  She couldn't even eat it all. Dani and I just got salad's. We had to save room for dessert.

Trifle and many, many more desserts to choose from

Right after that we headed to my mom's friends house where we had a dessert party. I'm not sure if that was the best idea considering we've all been bombarded with sweets every which way for weeks but because its such a busy time we wanted something simple. She has two girls of her own and it's very rare for all of us to be in one place at the same time. There were soooo many desserts I couldn't even try them all. We had a really fun time chatting and hanging out before we went back to my parents house.  It got really late really fast and the next thing I knew we were all tired and it was time for me to hit the road for home.  

I had a great day with my family and was happy that we'd get to be together again on Christmas Day.

 

He's 2

*Happy Birthday... what?*

It was my nephew's 2nd birthday on Saturday so we made the 2 1/2 hour drive to my sister's new home in the middle of the desert.  It's at the foot of a mountain and it's HOT.  I don't know how people who live there can stand it.  You feel like you are walking around in an oven when you are outside which is why they made sure to get a house with a pool.  I never understood why parents go all out on Christmas and birthdays for babies.  At that age, if you make a big production out of it then it's for yourself and not the kid because they don't know the difference and they certainly won't remember it.  When you are two you have no idea it's your birthday.  You don't even know what a birthday is.  My sister saved herself the time and the expense and kept it simple again this year.  It was just our family.  We gave him presents; which he didn't have a clue as to why he's getting.  Not that he would care anyways.  She bought a bunch of cold cuts and toppings so we could make sandwiches and we had macaroni salad, three bean salad and chips.  Instead of cake she made brownies because the birthday boy really isn't all that crazy about cake.  We sang happy birthday and then ate brownies and ice cream for dessert.  He spent most of the time we were in the pool crying even though he usually loves the water.  It's normally just him and mom in the pool so birthday or not he didn't appreciate his pool routine being disrupted by us.  Kids are so funny.

I think next year he'll have a better understanding of what's going on but for now it was just another fun day with the family for DJ.  He's getting so big and is such a cutie.  Now that he's older maybe my sister will stop using months to describe his age.  Instead of saying 24 or 27 months, she can just say he's 2. 

Fab 4 Day Weekend

Sisters

My little sister is such a hot shot that she got flown down here on Friday night to shoot her friend's sister's wedding on Saturday.  It was an early ceremony and reception so she was done by four.  My big sis and I met up at Mom's house so we could all hang out and spend time together.

Hangin' out at the bar

Me and my sparkling wine.  Can't seem to get enough lately.

Grandparents and Grandkiddo. 

We went to Claim Jumper for dinner.  That place is always busy and since there were six of us it took a little over an hour to get a table.  We passed the time in the bar.  What is it with this sparkling wine craving?  That was my drink of choice while we waited to get seated.  I was trying to be "good" so I just got the salad bar for dinner and put together my own delicious salad.  We didn't get out of there until around 9pm.  We stopped at my Aunts house and then headed home to watch a movie and eat ice cream and Pie.  Well, I don't eat pie so I had a few cookies instead.  I spent the night and took my little sis back to the airport Sunday morning.  I love family time.  It was a short but sweet visit.

It's been great having a four day weekend.  We get both President's Birthday's at my job.  Friday I got to get my cleaning done in the morning and did some errands in the afternoon.  That night Mj and I ate Subway and watched the movie Straw Dogs.  Sunday  we did some home improvement related errands.  We bought a new kitchen sink at Home Depot.  Then, we went out for Pizza and to the movies to see Safe House.  This morning I woke up bright and early and went to the gym and then came back and did my homework.  It's been a fab 4 day weekend but it's not quite over yet.  I've been watching TV and now I feel an afternoon nap coming on.  I'll have time to sleep AND have dinner on the table by the time Mj gets home and finishes his work out.  Now that's fabulous. 

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I am pleased to announce that the winner of my first giveaway is Mrs. Williams!  Her prize is a 5 x 7 canvas hand painted by Lauren and a $15 shop credit to her Etsy Shop.  Thanks so much to all who entered.

Delaware Vacation

Why oh why, must they make airports so cold?  I froze my butt off through a 4 1/2 hour flight, 2 hour lay over then another 2 hour flight before we finally arrived in Delaware.  All three airports had the thermostat set to arctic freeze.  I brought a blanket from home for exactly that reason.  The first leg of the flight was terrible.  My seat wouldn't recline and there was a kid behind me kicking the back of my seat.  It's so hard to sleep sitting up and my neck was killing me.

Our first stop after we got off our red eye flight was Cracker Barrel for breakfast.  I HAD to squeeze that one in because it'll probably be another year before I taste it's goodness again.  I love their perfect crispy edged pancakes and everything I tasted off of Mj's plate too.  After traveling all night we got there Friday morning and literally crashed on his mom's couch.  We were just laying there and next thing we knew we were both knocked out.

Enjoying my pancakes  (A rare shot of me in my glasses)

 We stayed Friday and Saturday night at his Dad's house.  Mj wanted to have some good East coast seafood while we were there so Friday night his dad took us to a seafood restaurant where you sit on wooden picnic style benches and they cover the table in brown butcher paper and clear it out after each party.  Now I can see why.  Watching him eat those Crabs was not a pretty sight.  I DO NOT do Seafood and this only solidified my distaste for it.  By then end of the meal there was a nasty pile of shells and discarded meat.   That's a lot of dirty work for a little bit of meat.

He plowed through 1/2 dozen whole crabs.  Ewww!!

Saturday was his family reunion and we were there all day long.  It was so hot and muggy.  This Cali girl is not used to all that humidity.  I'd put on my shoes, walk out the door and feel my feet sliding down my wedges within seconds.  We had a good time though.  It was really nice to meet so much of his family although I'm sure I don't remember half of their names.  There was tons of food and it was really well organized!  It was at Killens Pond which a really nice park with a lake, water park and camping among other things.   I don't like to get all hot and sweaty unless I'm actually working out but that's exactly what happened when we went paddle boating.  The only relief was when the sun slipped behind the clouds and we caught a cool breeze, which didn't happen often enough.  It was fun though.

Mj and his Mom at the reunion

Such a beautiful park.  So much lush greenery

First time paddle boating. Fun!!

Sunday and Monday there was more visiting with his family and more eating out.  We spent those last two nights at his mom's house.  She is so sweet and you could just see how happy she was to have her son around.  We went out to dinner on Sunday night and had fun just hanging out with her at the house before bed.   Monday we went to Rehoboth Beach and walked on the boardwalk.  We got ice cream for the second day in a row just because it was so darn hot and it tastes so darn good.  Dover is a small town and you can get a new house for less then $200,000.   I love the the greenery, the look of the houses and how they are so spread out.  Aside from the ridiculous weather I don't think I'd mind living the small town life there.  Of course, I'd never convince Mj to move back considering he left as soon as he turned 18.  The end of our trip came so fast!


At Rehoboth Beach

On the way back we stopped at the USO (United Services Organization) location at the Houston airport and relaxed during our lay over.  It's basically a lounge area for military and dependents to use while traveling.  It was so nice.  They have munchies, books, comfy couches and flat screen TV's to watch.  It was like having your mom there asking you what you want to eat and making sure you have enough snacks for the road.  We watched Source Code on his i Pad during the last leg of the flight which made the time go faster.  I love taking trips with Mj.  He's fun and he always knows just where to go and when to go there so I basically just follow him aimlessly around the airport.

The last thing you want after a long trip is any delays in getting home but when we got to our car the battery was dead!  We left one of the interior lights on and it drained the battery.  AAA was super fast though and it didn't take us too much longer to get home.  We got home around 8:30pm and what do you think was the first thing I did?  Sleep?  Unpack?  Nope.   The first thing I did was put on my work out clothes and go out for a 45 minute run/walk.  I was already crashing for the 2nd time that day and I knew if I waited it would never happen.  We ate out every day.  Sometime twice a day.  After all of that vacation eating I couldn't wait to get my body moving again and start burning it off.  After my emergency work out I got back I unpacked, showered, then went to bed not too long after.  I had a great time in Delaware but there is nothing like being home sweet home in your own bed.  And what is it with those darn bugs on the East coast?  By the time I got on the plane Tuesday morning I felt like I'd been eaten alive!  It's so nice to be back in our perfectly mild weather minus the bugs on steroids.